


lonely

by stellafleur



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Character Study, Drabble, Gen, Light Angst, Other, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:01:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24254032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stellafleur/pseuds/stellafleur
Summary: izumi's gloomy musings while looking for traces of her father around veludo way.
Comments: 10
Kudos: 45





	lonely

**Author's Note:**

> hello. i'm sort of back at the moment. as a celebration to act 3 opening, my brain said, "it is time for izumi sad hours.", so it came up with this! i have no idea why. i have nothing shippy to offer, and i apologize for that. once again, i don't own a3! or any of its characters, just the crazy ideas floating through my head.

Izumi's feet scuffled over the hardwood floors, sounds of congratulations and 'good jobs' mingling in the air, as another successful show ended. She bowed to each and every actor she passed, as well the backstage crew currently resetting and moving props, doing her best to convey her gratitude to the troupe that allowed her to volunteer and help in the first place. There was one thing she needed to do before she left, however.

"There you are!"

Izumi skidded to a halt right next to one of the sets, a staircase leading nowhere, and faced one of the stage directors, the person she'd been meaning to speak to before leaving. 

"Toriyama-san," Izumi's face lighted in excitement and bowed. "Good job, today!"

"Good job to you too, Tachibana-san," he replied in a gruff voice. The man was approaching his late 50s, but he refused to quit theater for one reason or another, instead opting to try a hand at stage directing. Built like a tank, he often reminded Izumi of a big teddy bear, if teddy bears smoked and cussed like there's no tomorrow. 

Toriyama was scuttling forward, his cane right beside him to accommodate his right leg, which was slowly withering away under the influence of arthritis, or so he has complained under mutters of curses the whole time she worked under his tutelage.

He also seemed aware of what she wanted to say before she could open her mouth.

"And, I'm sorry kiddo. I haven't heard much about your father since he left. Didn't even know Mankai was starting again until Yuzo-san mentioned it, and his daughter of all people was behind it."

Her shoulders momentarily slumped. "I see." 

Izumi shouldn't be surprised; another dead-end lead, but she swallowed the disappointed feeling before it showed on her face. Instead, she offered him a ticket for one of Mankai's upcoming rerun shows as thanks. She looked up at him, once again trying to convey her gratitude for letting her sit in on the show, and allowing her to gain more experience as a rookie director.

He patted her head reassuringly. "No problem. I'll stop by once things settle down here."

Izumi shot him another smile, before exiting out of the dark theater, and into the mildly busy street of Veludo Way. There was a strange lump in the back of her throat she was trying to ignore, and she automatically hurried her steps faster.

It was bad habit, Izumi knew, but every time an opportunity arose to help around the Veludo theater troupes, she couldn't help but pry, now and then, about Yukio Tachibana's whereabouts, his last appearances, acquaintances he last spoke to, or whether someone, even vaguely, recognized him anywhere.

That was one of the few, private reasons Izumi didn't want to admit out loud on why she found herself often helping other acting troupes, on top of gaining and learning more experience for herself. Even with all the publicity Reborn Mankai has been receiving, and the amount of work it was giving her, a part of her still longed for more information about her missing father.

Hiring an investigator would strain her wallet, so she hoarded pieces of information from rumors to conversations, the way Misumi hoarded triangles from everywhere. Then she would compile them in little notes in her phone, and inside her head. The usual answers usually amounted to something like they never heard of him before, or they avoid mentioning him altogether, and sometimes reminiscing him mysteriously as 'godlike.'

It was odd, really. Mother didn't seem interested in filing a missing persons report either, which was what made Izumi stop her impulsiveness to do so as well, once she reached adulthood. It was as if her mother was full of conviction that whatever made Yukio Tachibana leave, it wouldn't bring him back, and he was capable of taking care of himself, whatever that meant. Her mother was perfectly fine knowing her estranged husband disappeared like a ghost.

From that time onwards, Izumi's rose-colored view she had of her parent's marriage shattered, not that Izumi viewed it as something born of true love, but she liked to think that her father loved them in some capacity; except maybe that wasn't the case at all. In fact, Yukio Tachibana always loved theater, more than them, and maybe more than his own daughter too.

With that less-than-pleasing thought in her mind, Izumi turned the corner and found herself passing by God-za's imposing buildings. Some of its actors were performing another etude, maybe about their new play, but her gaze shifted over to the man watching them closely by the stone steps. 

Reni Kamikizaka, said director of Godza, was something of an enigma, with the way he stared at her sometimes, an indescribable ire and nostalgia she couldn't quite place, and his hatred for Mankai that stemmed from something he wouldn't say. She tried asking Yuzo-san about it, but that man was evasive as hell when he wanted to be, hence why she also dropped the subject of Yukio Tachibana around him.

He finally noticed her staring, and she walked away before he chased her off.

There was something appealing about having a drink right this moment, so instead of heading home and preparing curry for dinner, Izumi dragged her feet inside one of the nearby pubs. Settling on one of the booths by the windows, she shot a quick message to Omi to handle tonight's meal, as she might not be able to make it in time tonight. Her stomach recoiled from lying, but she couldn't bring herself to force a smile right now, or even fake her emotions, not when the boys were so perceptive sometimes.

Instead, Izumi ordered heaps of curry for herself, and one lemon flavored cocktail after another. The sour taste scratched her throat, but it was perfect for drowning unwanted emotions. Once she was remotely buzzed however, the weird, painful lingering thought finally came back. 

_Happy Birthday Dad…_

**Author's Note:**

> to almost makes make yourself extra sad, i recommend listening to [ this.](https://youtu.be/huJzM51IwXc).


End file.
